In This Issue:

Bill Gates Speaks to SEAS Students

SEAS Sees Operas and Concerts

Entrepreneurialism, with a Scottish EDGE

Three Chairs for Columbia Engineering

SEAS Leads Technology & Society Studies at Columbia

Inspiring Children and Youth to Become Engineers

SEAS Incubates New Generation of Engineered Tissue

The Power of Data Mining and Machine Learning

Chemical Engineering Celebrates 100 Years

Engineering Start-Ups + Venture Capitalists = Success

SEAS Teachers Honored by SOCG and Engineering Alumni

Reunion: Maintaining the Columbia Connection

Our Newest Alumni (Class of 2005) Celebrate

Homecoming 2005

Entrepreneurialism, with a Scottish EDGE

In the first program of its kind in Scotland, this summer 45 undergraduates from SEAS and the College joined students from the University of Glasgow and Dunbartonshire high schools to help 16 local businesses develop growth and development plans. The program, EDGE (Encouraging Dynamic Global Entrepreneurs), was sponsored by the Scottish government and co-created by Christopher Pratt, Columbia’s dean of Career Education.

SEAS students who participated gave the program very high marks. “I learned a lot from the program, in particular about marketing, like ‘punch above your weight’,” said Brandon Arbiter ’06. “EDGE was, in many ways, about building confidence and the results were remarkable.”

“The experience was life-changing,” said Karmen Lau ’06, a co-president of CORE (Columbia Organization of Rising Entrepreneurs). “The program exceeded all my expectations; I could see things change. It is not as hard as it seems to make a difference.”

Arbiter, whose entrepreneurial skills already garnered him the grand prize in Bank of America’s Youth Entrepreneur competition for “CU Snacks,” said the best part of the experience was being introduced to so many entrepreneurs. “I gained new friends, peers and professionals, new confidence and a new enthusiasm toward business and entrepreneurship.”